I had finished up the Austin half marathon. If you haven’t heard, it was a shitty race and I was ready to get home. However, the Universe was still in full “we’re teaching her a lesson, let’s help her grow” mode. It was then a massive road sign blew over and gave me a concussion. Yes, you read that right. C’mon Universe. It’s been a shitty f*cking day and I’m over the lessons right now.
I was clueless that I had suffered a head injury at the time. I assumed I was so exhausted from the race. I had lost my appetite. The following day I woke up with a pounding headache and assumed it was due to dehydration. I consumed extra fluids and took Tylenol. I tried to get out of bed but felt as if I were walking through clouds. Mid morning, I had muffled hearing and light sensitivity. Could that sign have actually resulted in head trauma?
I felt worse as time went on, and then the emotional side came through. I am not an angry person but managed to kick in a door. I began crying for no reason while eating breakfast. I didn’t recognize that person. I have minimal filters as is, but had NO filters. I never knew when a burst of anger, sadness, or anxiety would come on. I also wasn’t sleeping which only made matters worse. My frustrations were at an all time high.
Those who know me, know I try to push through anything. If I’m not going 100 at all times, I feel lost. Workouts were much harder as I tried to push through a haze. I had difficulty focusing on workouts. Lines on the roads would bounce as I tried to give myself a visual reference to reduce my dizziness. After a week of trying to get by, I knew this situation would require a different approach. I was forced to prioritize myself and place extra attention on controlling the controllables.
In the medical world, we rely heavily on previous experiences and research to guide us. Of course, concussions are different. There’s a saying, “if you’ve seen one concussion, you’ve seen one concussion”. I did not know what to expect. Would this last 5 days? Weeks? Some recovery in a week. Others experience bleeds. I wanted answers!
These past two weeks have been a challenge. I’m not a patient person. I wanted to feel better immediately. I wanted to nail my workouts. My body had other plans. Some days I felt as if I never had an injury. The next I felt like I was back to square one. My fog has finally lifted and I am approaching being 100% 🙂 Rather than suggest y’all go get a concussion to learn some lessons, here are my takeaways.
Life Lessons Learned From a Concussion:
- Be Patient. Concussions are on their own time. When I thought I was on the mend, a new symptom would come on. Give it time, things will and do get better.
- Set Boundaries. Thankfully my employer is fantastic. They let me work shorter days. Around 2 every day, my brain would shut down. I couldn’t look at a computer screen and could not process information. I had to understand my limitations and let them know what I was capable of.
- Food Choices Matter. Fat fuels the brain. Forget the “fat is bad” slogan. Eat a freaking avocado. Or 10.
- Listen To Your Body. If you need more sleep, SLEEP. If you can only get through part of your workout, that’s okay.
- Surround yourself with a BA tribe. February was a rough month. And I was ready for it to be over. Thankful for those who kept me going, kept the situation in perspective and showed up when I had a hard time asking for help! xo
Cheers!